Labyrinth lock seal for hydrostatically set packer
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsJames King, Edward Wayne Welch, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrostatically set packer is disclosed. The actuating piston is locked for run in by a lock sleeve and lock dog arrangement. When the desired depth is reached well pressure is built up to break a rupture disc to allow hydrostatic pressure to act on one side of a lock sleeve. The other side of the lock sleeve is exposed to a chamber under atmospheric or low pressure. Movement of the lock sleeve releases the lock dog allowing piston movement to set the packer. The lock sleeve has a labyrinth seal so that seal leakage below a predetermined level will not prematurely activate the piston lock and prematurely set the packer. A variety of designs for the labyrinth are described.
Claims17
A downhole hydrostatically settable tool comprising:
- a mandrel;
- a piston mounted to said mandrel;
- a moveable component actuated by said piston;
- a slideably mounted lock assembly, for said piston, mounted to an enclosure defined at least in part by said mandrel and selectively movable in response to exposure of one part of said lock assembly in said enclosure to downhole hydrostatic pressure;
- said lock assembly further comprising a labyrinth seal mounted to said lock assembly in said enclosure and allowing a leak flow therethrough without allowing said piston to be unlocked.
A labyrinth seal for a downhole tool component, comprising:
- a body having an upper and a lower end;
- at least three circumferential grooves on said body with adjacent grooves and said upper and lower ends connected by a plurality of longitudinal grooves on said body, said longitudinal grooves are offset from each other as between adjacent circumferential grooves, said circumferential and longitudinal grooves providing a leakage flow path between said upper and said lower end with openings at both ends.
A labyrinth seal for a downhole tool component, comprising:
- a body having an upper and a lower end;
- at least three circumferential grooves on said body with adjacent grooves and said upper and lower ends connected by a plurality of longitudinal grooves on said body, said longitudinal grooves are offset from each other as between adjacent circumferential grooves, said circumferential and longitudinal grooves providing a leakage flow path between said upper and said lower end;
- the downhole component comprising an annular shape with an inside and an outside surface and said circumferential and longitudinal grooves are disposed on said outside surface.
A seal for a downhole tool component, comprising:
- a body movably mounted to the downhole component in response to a selectively applied differential pressure across said body;
- said body comprising at least one longitudinal bore extending through said body and having open ends to allow a predetermined leakage flow therethrough to prevent differential pressure buildup across said body in the absence of said applied differential pressure, said bore devoid of labyrinth grooves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.